Fall is coming soon, which means that there are plenty of apples to pick at the moment.

I have my own garden, which means I get to eat my own apples each year. Since there are usually way more apples than I can eat before they go bad, I tend to use them in various recipes, one of which is an apple pie.

Now, this recipe isn’t hard to follow at all. You just need a little patience and about six to seven apples. I found that, on the internet, many recipes include a premade crust or ask you to follow another recipe for the crust. I think that’s unnecessary. Therefore, this recipe includes both the crust and the filling from beginning to end.

Before I start, I want to give a bit of context to some of the ingredients.

For instance, you’ll need vegan butter for the crust. To be honest, I was almost out of hard butter while I was making the crust, so I used about 50 grams of Flora butter and 70 grams of Alpro margarine. The result turned out way better than I could have expected. I think the softness of the margarine helped make the dough easy to knead.

I recommend making ice water by adding the water into a small bowl and putting it in the freezer for five minutes. It significantly cools down the water, which makes it easier to incorporate into the dough.

This recipe is something you’ll want to keep at hand during the colder days, as both making and eating it will make you warm and fuzzy inside.

Don’t hesitate to share with your neighbors or family members either. I’m sure they’ll keep coming back for more!

Ingredients:

Here’s what you’ll be needing for the filling:

6 to 7 big apples (around a kilo in total). My apples are a bit on the sour side, but for best results, you can combine a few sweet and sour apples.
2 tsp ground cinnamon
1/2 tsp ground nutmeg
1/2 tsp ground ginger
30 grams of brown sugar
A dash of lemon juice
50 ml water

And this is what you’ll need for the crust:

500 grams plain flour
120 grams cold vegan butter in small blocks
120 grams room temperature coconut oil
1 tsp salt
10 tbsp ice water
100 grams of sugar (I used 50/50 white and brown sugar)

Preparation and cooking

1. First, pour the flour into a big bowl and add the sugar and salt. Stir the ingredients till they’re well-mixed.

2. Then, pour in the water, coconut oil, and butter, and start kneading with your hands. Make sure to completely squish the butter and incorporate it into the dough.

3. Once the dough looks smooth, divide it into two pieces and wrap them individually in cling foil, then put them in the fridge for at least half an hour. The fridge is necessary to make sure the butter and oil harden.

4. Now it’s time for the filling. Wash the apples and remove the core. You do not need to peel them, but you can if it’s your preference.

5. Slice the apples into small pieces and add them to a big pot. Add in a dash of lemon juice, cinnamon, nutmeg, ginger, sugar, and water, and turn on the heat.

6. Stir the pot to make sure everything is mixed and make sure the stove is at its lowest setting. Let it all simmer for a few minutes, then cover the pot and let it simmer on low heat for another 15 minutes.

7. In the meantime, you can take out one of the two dough balls. Unwrap it on a piece of parchment paper and roll it out till it can fit in a 25 cm tart pan.

8. Lift the parchment paper and dough and put them in the pan. Cut off the excess paper and press the dough till it fits the form of the pan. Then, put the pan back in the fridge to let it cool for 5 to 10 minutes.

9. Take the tart pan back out, sprinkle a bit of flour on the inside, and use a fork to lightly press dents in the dough. The flour helps to suck up excess moisture from the filling.

10. Using a spatula with small holes to let out the excess moisture, add the filling to the tart pan. Make sure each part is covered equally. Let the pie cool for a bit and turn on the oven to 190 degrees Celsius.

11. Next, take out the other ball of dough and roll it out the same way as the first piece. Then, slice equally broad lines in the dough and take them off the parchment paper one by one.

12. Put each slice on the pie in a manner of your choosing till you have a nice pattern. Press the edges of the top into the sides of the pie so they stay attached during the baking process.

13. With the leftover dough, you can make braids, patterns, or other cut-outs to add onto your pie, but this is completely optional.

14. Mix a bit of soy milk with some sugar and brush it onto the dough pattern.

15. Put the pie in the oven for about 35 minutes and let it cool for 10 minutes before cutting. It’s best served with vegan whipped cream or vanilla ice cream. Enjoy!

The pie serves about 8 to 10 slices, depending on your preference.

I like to heat it up in the oven for a few minutes before eating it, so the warmth fills my stomach with happiness. You can store the pie in the fridge for two to three days. You can also freeze it, but I don’t recommend that as it will diminish the flavour.